Man convicted in murder of child's mother, woman's boyfriend during custody exchange in Covington

article

 Marques Smith (Newton County Sheriff's Office)

NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. - A Newton County jury has convicted Marques Smith for the murders of Craig and Desiree Thomas in a 2022 incident involving a child custody exchange. After four days of testimony, the jury deliberated for just over 30 minutes before delivering a guilty verdict on all charges.

Smith was found guilty on two counts of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, cruelty to children in the first degree, two counts of cruelty to children in the third degree, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The murders occurred on Sept. 11, 2022, when Desiree and Craig Thomas arrived at Smith’s home on Pebble Lane to exchange custody of children shared by Desiree and Smith. While the victims and their teenage daughter remained in their car, Smith retrieved a firearm from his vehicle and shot both Craig and Desiree, killing them in front of his daughter. Smith then fled the scene.

The prosecution presented evidence that Smith had sought to obtain a gun from a family member before the incident. The jury also heard about a history of violence, including Smith’s 2017 conviction for aggravated battery against Desiree in Rockdale County.

During the trial, phone calls made by Smith were introduced as evidence. In those calls, Smith made comments to family members, describing the trial as "fun," expressing a desire to laugh when shown a picture from the 2017 battery case, stating he missed his truck seen in a video shown during the trial, and saying he enjoyed being the "guest of honor" in the proceedings.

Smith remains in custody and will face sentencing at a hearing to be scheduled.